South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is partnering with medical pulp supplier Vernacare to ensure the highest standards of patient care and infection prevention, matched by value for money.

The Trust is using Vernacare's single-use pulp range across its wards because the UK manufactured product is of a consistent rigorously tested quality that ensures it can be disposed of hygienically through effective maceration.

"An alternative product was used for a period of almost 12 months, which proved to increase machine breakdowns with increased costs for replacement spares," explains David George, Maintenance Manager at the Trust.

"Busy wards need a reliable and hygienic system of disposing of human waste so we are very pleased to have resumed our relationship with Vernacare."

Vernacare recently announced that it was reducing its medical pulp prices by up to 19% to provide the NHS with cash savings totalling £1.5 million. The biggest reductions are focused on the most popular products to deliver maximum savings for Trusts

Vernacare provides what it says is the largest range of medical pulp products to the NHS and is an eco-friendly ISO 14001 approved manufacturer - using recycled newsprint, and no bleach or dye in its products. Its high quality standards are evidenced by the fact that the company had just 0.0007% complaints last year from the 150 million items of pulp it supplied.

In the past 12 months, NHS data reveals that Vernacare delivered 100% of orders on-time, in-full. As a British manufacturer and supplier it contributes towards the NHS Sustainability agenda through minimising product transport miles and avoiding air miles.